Dealflow | March 3, 2021

Startups in Singapore, the U.S. and Nigeria attract capital for animal-free products

Jessica Pothering
ImpactAlpha Editor

Jessica Pothering

ImpactAlpha, March 3 – Singapore’s Next Gen raised $10 million for its plant-based chicken products. Singapore Economic Development Board, NX Food, FEBE Ventures and Blue Horizon backed the company just four months after its launch.

The eco-friendly shoe company Allbirds invested $2 million in Illinois-based Natural Fiber Welding, which makes a plastic-free, plant-based leather out of hemp, coconut, vegetable oil and cork waste.

And in Nigeria, Lagos-based VeggieVictory secured pre-seed funding from Sustainable Food Ventures, Capital V, Kale United, and Thrive Worldwide for “vegan meat” snacks. The woman-led company is among the first to put African plant-based food startups on the venture capital map. 

Innovative food. Startups developing alt-proteins and other innovative ingredients raised $2.3 billion in 2020 in what was a record year for agri-food tech investing globally.